Rapidly growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) in China is triggering an explosion of investment in the lithium-ion battery industry, with China’s production of power lithium-ion batteries set to jump 400 per cent by 2017, according to market research firm CCM.
In news that will surprise virtually nobody, Continental shares that electric cars fail to stir drivers’ emotions. Ahead of the release of its ‘2015 Continental Mobility Study’ later this month, the tyre and automotive systems manufacturer has released a few pertinent details on what drivers think of electric cars – and it isn’t very flattering.
TRL, which until recent years was known as the Transport Research Laboratory, has reported that it is investigating “the everyday risks of cyber security breaches as vehicles become more digitally controlled.”
According to researchers such research is increasingly important as the next generation of autonomous vehicles make their debut next year (something that has been covered by Tyrepress/Tyres & Accessories a number of times in the past – see “Automotive suppliers, smart cars, intelligent tyres and safety concerns” and “Researchers Hack a Hole In Tyre Tag Security” for more on this subject). The specific risk is said to be related to the interception of data packages communicated to and from vehicles is ever present. Therefore the encryption and decryption of software and data is likely to become “the battle ground between the vehicle manufacturers and the cyber terrorists or hackers as programmers will need to be able to ensure rigour in the systems’ coding”, says TRL
Nokian Tyres is claiming an industry first with the release of a Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 fitment designed for the electric BMW i3. The Finnish manufacturer says the winter tyre has achieved an ‘A’ European tyre label rating for rolling resistance – a boast that not even the most optimistic tyre maker has voiced since the label’s introduction in late 2012. But given Nokian’s impeccable credentials as a winter tyre specialist, we can be confident that this particular Hakkapeliitta R2 does exactly what it says on the tin. To quote the manufacturer, the tyre “allows for safe, economical, and high-performance driving on snow and ice in demanding Nordic winter weather.”
A £15 million investment by the Highways Agency will add thousands of new chargepoints at key locations across the UK’s road network and is set to be completed by 2020.
It will mean that 95 per cent of the time, motorists will be no more than 20 miles from a chargepoint. Wherever feasible these will be rapid chargers, which are capable of charging an electric vehicle to 80 per cent of capacity in less than 30 minutes.
Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are aiming are advocating tyre pyrolysis as a way of recovering carbon black for use as a graphite substitute in lithium-ion batteries. The goal is to scale up the recovery process and demonstrate applications as anodes for lithium-ion batteries in large-format “pouch cells”. These batteries could then be used in plug-in electric vehicles and to store energy produced by wind and solar sources.
Currently, electric car batteries are expensive and don’t give enough range per charge for drivers. However, the new battery which has been developed by US scientists, could triple the driving range of an electric vehicle, and have a much lower cost. Dr Qichao Hu, who developed the device with his former professor, Donald Sadoway, a […]
Government officials, local authorities and the Automovil Club Argentino (ACA) gathered in Buenos Aires recently for a press conference to officially welcome the new all-electric FIA Formula E Championship, which will see the Argentinean capital host a race for the next three years. The prestigious event was attended by more than 100 distinguished guests and […]
The final exterior design of Detroit Electric’s all-new, pure electric two-seater sport scar, the SP:01, has been revealed, as the company gears up for production. The lightweight, limited-edition SP:01 will be the world’s fastest production electric sports car when it goes on sale in Asia, Europe and North America, starting in 2015.
The pace of Toyota’s worldwide hybrid vehicle sales continues to accelerate with a further million units added in just nine months, taking the cumulative total through the seven-million mark.
Toyota’s hybrid range continues to grow, with 28 different passenger car models (including the Prius Plug-in hybrid) currently sold in more than 90 countries and regions. The new model strategy for 2014-2015 features 15 new hybrids, including in the UK the new Lexus NX 300h crossover and RC 300h coupe. In the future more new models and markets will be added.
Pirelli received one, and so has Bridgestone: The tyre maker is the new owner of a BMW Supplier Innovation Award 2014. Bridgestone was awarded in the ‘Efficient Dynamics’ category in recognition of the ologic technology it developed for the BMW i3. The honour was presented to Bridgestone Europe’s CEO and president, Franco Annunziato, by Gerhard Kurz, BMW’s senior vice-president Purchasing Driving Dynamics, at an official ceremony in Amsterdam on 1 October.
The 2015 Freeride E has been officially launched in Saalbach/Hinterglemm, Austria. The ultra-innovative, electrically powered offroad machine, will be available in two versions and reach the dealers in a matter of weeks. The machines will cost around £10,000.
A partnership of Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) manufacturers have joined forces through the European Union’s TEN-T programme to create a multi-standard and inter-operable charging network through the United Kingdom and Ireland. As well as helping to finance the €7+ million scheme, the consortium is providing other members of the project with the benefit of its […]
History was made this weekend (14 September) as the world’s first ever fully-electric single-seater race took place in Beijing, marking the successful season opener of the FIA Formula E Championship. The race – Beijing Evergrande Spring ePrix – was held on a spectacular temporary race track built around the city’s iconic Olympic ‘Bird’s Nest’ Stadium and […]
Professor Gordon Murray today teamed up with Innovate UK Chief Executive Iain Gray CBE to reveal Yamaha’s Formula One inspired MOTIV.e car to UK audiences at LCV ’14. The all-electric car, first unveiled to the world at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show, emerged from its covers on Wednesday 10 September on the Innovate UK stand at the CENEX event held at Millbrook.
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